The Most Famous Tomato in the World

     A few weeks ago I happened along a small roadside stand in South Jersey that was selling tomato plants.  There were the usual varieties: Big Boy, Early Girl, Beefsteak, etc.  But one flat caught my eye and I quickly grabbed a container holding 4 San Marzano plants and gladly paid fifty cents a piece for the seedlings.



     So what's the mystique about these pomo d'oro fruits?  (Yes, technically tomatoes are a fruit).  They are the thing of legend and myth, according to some.  One claim which remains unproven is that seeds of the San Marzano were a gift from the King of Peru to the King of  Naples and were planted near the shadowy smoke of Mount Vesuvius in the town of San Marzano.  It is said that the rich volcanic soil of the area gives the tomato their sweet flavor and low acidity, as well as their firm pulp, deep red color and low seed count.  They are the only tomatoes permitted to be used on a certified Neapolitan pizza!

     
     Many top chefs from around the world claim the San Marzano to be the best tomato available and use them exclusively in their recipes.  The tomatoes are grown under very specific rules in the Campania region of Italy.  Only San Marzano tomatoes will have an official DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta) label on the container to verify the tomato's variety as well as the location where it was grown.  Authentic San Marzano tomatoes can be grown only in 3 provinces of Campania: Salerno, Naples and Avellino.  And while some of the famous tomatoes are grown outside that area, they cannot wear the official "seal of approval" on the can or jar.

     Here's what a fellow blogger has to say about it:

"San Marzano tomatoes are, not to put too fine a point on it, simply the best sauce tomatoes in the world.  Better than any other canned tomato.  Better than 99.9 percent of the fresh tomatoes out there...The only way to be sure you're getting the genuine article is to look for the D.O.P. seal on the label."

Bill Citara,  Food Fight Blog

     I can't wait to taste my own San Marzano tomatoes later this Summer! With or without the label...